PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — After entering Red October red-hot, Phillies fans on Sunday morning felt the autumn chill and the cold sting of a 1-0 NLDS deficit.
Zack Wheeler was masterful for the Phils with seven shutout innings, but after he came out of the game, the New York Mets' bats lit up, and they scored five runs in the eighth inning. The Mets took Game One of the NLDS 6-2.
Losing Game One is not something Phillies fans are used to. In fact, this group came into the 2024 NLDS having won every single series opener in the 2022 and '23 playoffs. The Phillies have never won a playoff series after losing the first game.
Minus a Kyle Schwarber lead-off home run and Cody Clemens' late RBI, the Phillies' offense struggled at the plate for the most part.
Bryce Harper said they're chasing too much.
"They're going to bury stuff and try to get us to chase as much as possible. And I think, obviously, they got really good pitching, but we got really good hitters in here. We've got to bear down and understand that we can do it," Harper said.
Meanwhile, the 4 p.m. shadows made it tough for both teams to hit — especially with Zach Wheeler on his game and the Mets also pitching well.
It's the third year in a row fans can say the Phillies wasted a Zach Wheeler NLDS start, this time, perhaps, the most masterful performance in the career of MLBs current king of postseason pitching.
Phillies fan Brandon didn't like what he saw.
"Really disappointed. The bats kind of went cold. Besides Kyle Schwarber, there really wasn't anything there. There was opportunity. We had runners in scoring position. Harper struck out there," he said.
VIDEO: Phillies chased too many balls
"So there's been room for improvement, obviously. Looking for a better game next time."
Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos and company are trying to put Saturday night's disappointment in the rear view mirror and bounce back in Game Two.
"It's going to be a grind," said Castellanos. "You know? It's going to be the same for us as it is for them. We're going to have to find a way to deal with it and put together good at-bats and score more runs than them."
VIDEO: Kyle Schwarber on dealing with shadows
There are plenty of fans who remain hopeful — like Vaughan.
"This is the year," he said. "We've been up for quite a long time right now. This is the year. Let's go, Phillies!"
There were 45,751 fans at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday — who were brought from the peaks of excitement to the canyons of misery. It'll be another packed house Sunday at 4:08 p.m., excited for starting pitcher lefty Christopher Sanchez, who was given the ball because he excels in South Philly.
The Phillies fan should be in their seats by 3:45 p.m. for pregame festivities, which include a ceremonial first pitch from the bull himself, 1980 World Series champion Greg Luzinski.